Extensibility

Updated: 11 months ago

In Short

Extensibility in iOS 8 is arguably the biggest thing to happen to the iPhone and iPad since the advent of the App Store. With Extensibility Apple has enabled developers to extend the interface and functionality of their apps into Notification Center, Share Sheets, the input system, the new DocumentPicker, and into other apps. This allows for everything from widgets to custom keyboards and more. Most impressively, Apple has done all this while maintaining the security of iOS. Extensions run in the same sandbox as the apps they extend but within separate containers. That means you get all the functionality you want while maintain the privacy and security of the system you cherish.

10 September 201452By Richard DevineSwiftKey was one of the very first keyboard apps to announce its intentions to launch on iOS 8 back in June, and now for the very first time the finished article has been revealed...

22 July 201413By Rene RitchieDocument provider extensions in iOS 8 are part of the new Extensibility system and allow the features from Document Picker and associated file handling to go beyond iCloud Drive to encompass enterprise storage and popular online services like DropBox, Box, OneDrive, Google Drive, and more...

14 July 201412By Rene RitchieiCloud Drive and its associated Document Picker are new features of iOS 8 that allow the app you're using to open files created in a different app, import them, move them, or export them right back out again, all without creating any unnecessary steps or complicated workflows...

08 July 201433By Rene RitchieCustom keyboard extensions, part of iOS 8's new Extensibility feature, allow developers to almost completely replace the default, system-wide iOS keyboard with ones of their own devising...

07 July 201411By Rene RitchiePhoto extensions are part of iOS 8's new Extensibility feature, one of the biggest platform advances since the launch of the App Store. With Photo — and video — extensions, we get the ability to access filters and effects from any app right inside Apple's Photos and Camera apps...

03 July 20142By Rene RitchieShare Sheets in iOS have another name behind the scenes — activity view controllers. That's fitting because, in addition to providing sharing options, they also provide for other "activities", like action options. Traditionally, that's been system options such as copy, save, print, etc...

01 July 201427By Rene RitchieShare extensions, part the new Extensibility features in iOS 8,are some of the most important additions to the platform since the launch of the App Store. That's right, sharing isn't just for Apple's own services and partners any more...